F-U-N Learning with Food

(Family Features) If you’re searching for ways to get little ones excited about
learning, try combining fun and function, using food as your teaching tool. Foods
that come in letter shapes are a great way to introduce young learners to the alphabet
and make learning delightfully F-U-N.

Although it may contradict the popular mealtime mantra to "quit playing with
your food," teaching children to recognize letters using a familiar food, such as
cereal, can actually be a great way to promote literacy and a love of reading early
on.

You can get started promoting the joys of learning with these “snacktivities”
to make snack time as entertaining as it is educational for your littlest family
members. Use a nutrient rich cereal, such as Post Alpha-Bits, so when letters start
disappearing into those tiny tummies, you can feel good knowing each serving provides
12 of the essential vitamins and minerals growing kids need.

Family treeDraw a big tree with lots of branches on construction
paper. After the tree is drawn, write out each family member’s name on the branches
with colorful markers. Encourage your little ones to match the letters you have
written with letters from the Alpha-Bits bo. Let them glue the cereal pieces to
the tree so you can display their works of art on the refrigerator.

Vowel playGive your little one a one-cup serving of Post
Alpha-Bits and ask them to eat all of the consonants and leave only the vowels.
They’ll learn their letters a little better and get 20 grams of whole grains along
the way.

ABC Crispy Bars

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1 package (10.5 ounces) miniature marshmallows

8 cups Post Alpha-Bits Cereal

Alphabet-shaped cookie cutters

Instructions

Line 13 x 9-inch pan with foil; lightly grease foil.

Microwave butter in large microwavable bowl on high for 45 seconds or until melted.
Add marshmallows and mix well.

Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted
and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds.

Leftovers?

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